The Saga of Sory Flanevans
by DaimyoSensei
Summary: A Sory Story in the Harry Potter Universe. Sam is a foreign exchange student from America going to Hogwarts where he meets Rory, a Ravenclaw with a troubled past and a big secret. Will this secret be the death of Rory? How can he be sure that Sam won't leave him like everyone else. Slash pairing. Mature for future chapters.
1. Prequel: The Foreign Exchange Students

**A Sory Fanfic in the Harry Potter Universe. I do not own anything of the characters, places, or spells in this story, everything belongs to Fox or Warner Bros. **

**A new term begins at Hogwarts, what awaits the students? **

**Setting: 14 years after the Battle of Hogwarts. **

**Book 1, Chapter 0**

**The Foreign Exchange Students**

The smog filled air filled the lungs of the townsfolk as they all scrambled onto the platform. The smoke billowing from the top of the train billowed out larger signaling it's soon departure. Children hugged their parents and pushed their trunks to the doors of the train waiting to board. Each child wore long robes, some all Black and some with lining and trim patterns of Red, Green, Blue or Yellow. Mothers cried as they watched their babies board the train, and fathers beamed proudly as their pride and joy left them to pursue journeys beyond what they could offer them at home; Families watched as their loved ones boarded the Hogwarts Express.

**~~~gLee~~~**

The crowds of families parted as a certain cluster of students approached the train. They parted and sneered at the students as they passed. Some parents whispered to their children, forbidding them to interact with them at all, some gripped their wands debating whether or not it would be acceptable to hex them on spot. A woman in a long black robe and a pointy black hat led them. She led them to the front of the train after all the other students had boarded.

"Welcome, students, to the Hogwarts Express." She addressed them. "It is a magical train, powered by magic, that will be transporting you to our wonderful school."

"Wait, Madame Sylvester," A short Asian girl in the front interrupted her.

"What?" She growled at the girl making her flinch.

"Uh...I just find it a little strange that you take a train to get to school. Why can't you just take a Wizard Portal, you'd be there in seconds." Madame Sylvester glared daggers at her.

"Who are you?" She asked the girl, making her shrink back into the group even more. The girl hid behind one of the boys next to her. "Tina Cohen-Chang" She answered.

"Well Cohen-Chang, Unlike you Americans, we care about the safety of our students. We at Hogwarts don't like everybody and their mothers being able to waltz into our school at the snap of their fingers. That's why you never hear about mass murderers coming into our school and attacking children." She spat.

"What about Voldemort?" A latino girl in the back asked. Parents standing around went silent. Madame Sylvester's face scrunched up in anger. The latino's arms were crossed and she had a smug grin on his face. "He waltzed in pretty easily and murdered a few hundred of your students." Everyone on the platform was staring at her. A boy with a mohawk pulled her a couple feet away from the rest of the group.

"Santana, you're not supposed to bring that up." He scolded her.

"So what, Puck? It's been 14 years since the dumb battle. So a couple hundreds of people died, big whoop. You think they'd be over it by now."

Madame Sylvester decided to move on. "You will board the train, and when we reach the station at Hogsmeade, you will find me, and from there I will give you further instructions. Is that clear." She glared into each and every one of their eyes. they all nodded except for Puck and Santana who were still arguing. "Good, now get on board and mingle a little. I'm sure you'll make _tons_ of friends." She said with a mischievous smile. And with that she turned and apparated away. The group started filing onto the train dragging their trunks behind them. The last to get on the train was a tall blonde boy. He stopped before getting on, peering behind himself, only to catch the stares of just about everyone on the platform. They all looked as if they wanted to kill them.

"What do you think that meant?" A tall brunette boy asked him. The blonde shook the image of their glaring faces away.

"I don't know, Finn. Why was everyone staring at us back there though?" The blonde inquired. They walked down the somewhat large aisle looking for empty compartments. Students gave them mean looks as they looked into their compartments. "Why are they staring at us?"

"It's because we're American, Sam, duh." The blonde looked down. His friend Quinn scoffed at him and his naivety. "Everyone knows the American wizards and the English wizards don't get along. that's why this whole Foreign Exchange Program is a stupid waste of time."

Most of the group had found empty compartments to sit in while others chose to press their luck and sit with the returning Hogwarts students. Soon Sam was all alone with Finn walking the aisle trying to find a booth that they could ride in. They kept going until they reached the end of the train. Finn saw a booth that had a couple boys with a football inside. He left Sam choosing to ride with them.

Sam looked into one of the very last compartments. Only two students were inside; a brunette boy that looked about his age and another younger boy that looked almost exactly like the older boy. He slid the door open slowly.

"Um, Hi, is it cool if I sit with you guys?" He asked. The older boy nodded, motioning with his hand to an empty seat. "Thanks." Sam sat down happily. The older brunette had blue lining and hems on his robes, and a large book in his lap. His younger companion glared at Sam. The younger boy had robes just like the older boy's but his were red instead of blue.

"Rory that's one of the Americans." He said tugging on his sleeve. The elder boy, Rory, snatched his sleeve back. "So what?" he replied returning to his book. "I don't want to be in the same booth as a Yank." He whined. "I'm going to go find my friends." The younger boy stormed out of the room.

Rory huffed. "I'm sorry about him." He said rubbing his temples. Sam almost didn't realized he was talking to him. "He actually conforms to the whole American vs. English thing. I hope ye forgive him." Sam nodded. he noticed the boy's weird accent.

"Of course." He said. "That accent, is it Scottish?" He asked.

"No, it's Australian."

"Really?" Rory laughed.

"No, actually, it's Irish. I was just joking with ye." He laughed at the blonde. "I'm Rory by the way. Rory Flanagan, Sixth Year." He said extending his hand with a bright smile. Sam noticed what a nice smile the boy had. A nice change considering it was one of the first nice looks he was given since he got on the train.

"Sam Evans." He replied shaking the boy's hand. "Sixth Year as well.

"So, yer from America?" Rory asked. "What's the wizarding world like there? I've heard...well I've heard it's kinda crappy."

"I don't know about crappy, but I know it's not as good as yours." Sam said staring out the window, remembering his family and all his old friends he was leaving behind. "We all go to school at this place called "The Institute for the Magically Gifted". I've been told the curriculum is way easier than at Hogwarts." Rory agreed.

"Just about every teacher at Hogwarts used to be a Ravenclaw so it's kind of advanced." Sam looked at him confused.

"What the devil is a Ravenclaw?" Rory looked at him wide eyed.

"Oh good lord." He said closing his book dramatically. "Didn't they tell you anything about the school before you came? I'm not sure how they're going to do it, since you're obviously way past eleven, but you're supposed to get sorted when you first get to Hogwarts, and this thing called the sorting hat sorts you into one of four houses; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin." Sam tried to process this in his head.

"Okay, I get the other ones, but what the hell is a Hufflepuff?" Rory looked at him with a blank stare. "Right, go on then."

"Well Ravenclaws, like meself." He stated proudly, pointing to the blue lining on his robe. "pride themselves on knowledge and wit. Gryffindors, like my little brother Seamus who ran out earlier, are known for their bravery and daring. Hufflepuffs are known for being loyal and hardworking. Then theres Slytherin; the cunning and ambitious."

"So what am I?" He asked. Sam had asked this question to himself many times before. Only this time there was a definite answer.

"No one knows until ye put the sorting hat on. It can tell." Rory said. He fished through his robe patting himself down. Then he pulled out his wand from one of his pockets. "This is my wand. It's almost identical to my mum's; she was a Ravenclaw too. Her and my da both went to Hogwarts." Sam went silent. This was beginning to turn into one of the conversations he tried to avoid back in America. Rory noticed the boys saddened face "Anything wrong?" He asked.

"No, nothing." Sam said looking out the window again. Rory could tell something was troubling him, but he assumed it was something Sam didn't want to reveal to a stranger.

Sam sat in silence watching the passing scenery. He had only just left America last night, and he already missed his family deeply. He thought of what they were doing right now. His father was probably getting ready to go on patrol with his police squadron. His mother was probably helping his little siblings, Stacy and Stevie, get ready for school. And he was riding a magical train taking him farther away from them, to a secluded castle where it would be difficult to even say 'hello'.

Rory felt sorry for the blonde boy. He probably wasn't used to being away from his family for so long. Rory, however, was overjoyed to be away from his parents, and was used to feeling alone.

"Are you sure everything is alright?" Sam looked up. Rory had a concerned look on his face. He sighed.

"Yeah, I'm just not sure what this program was supposed to offer only thing I've gotten so far is spite and regret. Hopefully wherever I'm sorted I'll have at least someone else from the program in the same house as me. It'd be awful if I was all alone." He said with a frown.

"Being alone isn't all that bad. I would know." Rory said, absentmindedly twirling his wand at the ground. "Why would you be alone?" Sam asked. Rory seemed like a swell kid, nice, funny, and smart too. Rory fiddled with his sleeve for a second.

"I kinda...I just don't get along with people, thats all. Not many people want to be my friend." He said looking down into his lap. Sam put his hand on the boys shoulder.

"I'll be your friend." He offered. Rory didn't really believe him though. He was bound to keep his distance once he found out about what he was...and what he did.

"Thanks Sam. That means a lot." He lied. He'd heard it all before. every year since his second year, on the train, from someone who didn't know him or never knew what actually happened Rory assumed Sam would begin avoiding by the second week of classes.

"I feel a little better already." Sam beamed. "Good to know I'll be starting off the year with one friend already made.

**~~~)()()()(~~~**

The students filed off of the train. Sam bid Rory a goodbye as he exited their compartment to search for Finn and the other foreign exchange students. Sam found his group and together they waited outside the train for Madame Sylvester.

Madame Sylvester showed up ten minutes after everyone else had left the train station with a boy with wispy brown hair trailing behind her.

"Alright maggots. This is Sebastian Smythe. He will be your "guide" to Hogwarts. Any questions you have for me, address them to him because I don't give a flying whip about any of your concerns but Sebastian just might." Sebastian stepped up front. Sam noticed his robes were lined with green fabric. He must've been a Slytherin if he recalled correctly. Sebastian had a sly smile on his face as he sized up the group of teenagers. Madame Sylvester began leading the group up to the school. While they walked Sebastian addressed the crowd.

"Hello, Yanks. I am Sebastian Smythe," He reintroduced himself. "I am a Sixth Year Slytherin prefect. If you need me, you can find me in the Slytherin Common Room. Do not address me in the hallways or the Great Hall, I'm just going to ignore you because, well really, none of you are worth my time." Sam exchanged looks with Finn. Sam could hear his friend Kurt in the back asking if this guy was serious. "It's best that we establish the idea into your feeble American minds that I am your superior in just about everything, therefore you will only talk when I address you. And one more piece of advice. Do not bring up The Battle of Hogwarts. They've arranged passes so that you will not be present in any class that will be going over the battle." He stopped and turned around at them. "Is everything clear?" The students looked at him, all with looks of equal disdain and loathing. Madame Sylvester turned around, angry that they stopped moving.

"He said. Is. That. Clear." She sneered. The students nodded.

"Thank you Madame Sue." Sebastian said, giving her a glowing smile.

A few minutes later they entered the lobby of the Hogwarts castle. Madame Sylvester, or Madame Sue as she apparently liked being called, told them to wait in front of two large doors. Sam could hear cheering and clapping from the other side and a loud booming voice yelling out "Gryffindor". Madame Sue left Sebastian in charge as she went inside to announce their arrival.

"When you get inside the Great Hall, You will be sorted into one of four houses."

Sebastian explained. Sam zoned out as he began describing the houses. He completely

understood the way the houses were set up from Rory's explanation. He began gazing around, admiring the architecture of the castle. This place was so much more elaborate than The Institute. Finn elbowed him in the side, halfway through Sebastians instructions.

"After you are sorted into your house, you will sit with them at their table. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to recognize your table. It will be the group of idiots screaming wildly if you are sorted with them. The sorting will start with the Seventh Years first."

Seconds later, the large double doors opened. Sebastian confidently strutted down the aisle and presented the group to Madame Sue, who held a rolled up piece of parchment in her hands. The foreign exchange students formed a single filed line in front of a stool with an old wizard's hat on it. Madame Sue unrolled the parchment and read a name.

"Berry, Rachel." She yelled. Rachel happily skipped up the stairs with a bright smile. She sat down on the stool, anxiously awaiting her house sorting. "Slytherin" the hat yelled. Rachel's smile quickly faded. " Wait, that can't be right. That's the bad house. That hat is wrong, it must be defective, I'm supposed to be a Gryffindor!" Sue pushed her away towards the other Slytherins who were cheering madly.

"Fabray, Quinn." Sue called next. Quinn waved her hair back and walked smoothly to the hat. "Ravenclaw" Sue continued calling out names.

"Hudson, Finn" "Gryffindor"

"Hummel, Kurt" "Hufflepuff"

"Jones, Mercedes" "Gryffindor"

"Lopez, Santana" "Slytherin"

"Pierce, Brittany" "Hufflepuff"

"Puckerman, Noah" "Slytherin"

"Cohen-Chang, Tina" "Ravenclaw"

Soon Sam was the only person left standing in the middle of the Great Hall. Sam's stomach felt queasy. Everyone's eyes were on him. Rory watched him with a smile, hoping he'd be sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Evans, Sam" Sue called. Sam slowly made his way to the stool. Sue placed the hat on his head. The hat hummed. Sam was beginning to worry. The hat was taking a long time.

"Hmmm," It said. "Yes a very, very nice one. Very loyal yet theres a desire to get ahead.

Not very bright. Could do Gryffindor, yes, very brave. But you're hard working and you're modesty and patience would work great in Hufflepuff. Oh how bright your future is. A lot of great things will become you. A very fine wizard you shall be." The hat spoke into his head. Sam tensed up. It felt like something was feeling underneath his scalp. "Ah, your bravery will stand out in the future. Interesting, and all because of the boy..." Sam wondered what was taking so long. He looked out into the Great Hall and saw Rory eagerly awaiting his sorting. Rory's infectious smile caused Sam to relax under the pressure. "Gryffindor!" The hat bellowed. Sam frowned. He looked back at Rory who still clapped for him. He smiled despite how disappointed he was that he wouldn't be sorted into the same house as his new friend.

Sam found a seat next to Finn and Mercedes at the Gryffindor table. A few other students gave him pats on the shoulders and welcomed him.

An old man stood up after he sat face was clean shaven, and he had a head full of silver hair. His robes were a navy blue and he wore a pair of glasses.

"Who is that?" Sam asked.

"That's Headmaster Alden." A hispanic looking girl answered. She introduced herself as Sugar Motta, shaking Sam's hand. "Anyway's, he is one of the most brilliant wizards since Dumbledore himself. He was taught by him."

The Headmaster welcomed the first year students and gave a particular welcome to the foreign exchange students. He gave a few other announcements to the rest of the school then he removed his wand from his robes and flicked it in the air. Large plates of food materialized on the tables. Sam's goblet began filling itself with Coke, Sam's preferred drink. With this, Headmaster Alden began the first term.

"Well, I see someone already has dibs on the cute blonde one." Blaine nudged Rory with a smile. Rory blushed and smiled back.

"Wha- What? What are you talking about." He stammered.

"You haven't taken your eyes off of that Evans kid since he came in the door." Rory stared down at his plate, his face turning redder. "It's okay, you can have him. I've got my eyes on the cute Hufflepuff anyways. " He said pointing back at Kurt. "So when are you going to make your move?" Rory glanced over at the Gryffindor table. Sam was laughing with his friends having a great time. Rory shook his head in disappointment.

"We talked on the train the whole ride here. He's super cool and funny. And yeah, kinda cute, but I'm pretty sure he's not like that. Besides, he's probably never going to talk to me again once he hears about what happened in our first year."

"Rory, you're going to have to stop beating yourself up about that. It was an accident, you couldn't control it. It's not your fault." Blaine comforted him.

"Well I know that now." Rory sighed. "But Sam won't see it like you do. He, like everyone else at this school, will see me as a monster. It's bad enough you and Seamus have to deal with crap because you acknowledge my existence. He's already got it bad 'cus he's American. It's just all too much. I can't do that to him."

Blaine nodded in agreement. He could understood his reasons for not wanting to try anything, but he had sat by and watched multiple times as Rory let people who wanted to get to know him pass by without opening up to them. Blaine grinned as he looked back at the Gryffindors.

"Hey Rory," He said nudging him. he pointed at the Gryffindor table. Rory looked up from his food. Sam was waving madly with a big smile on his face. Rory chuckled. He waved back, giving him a thumbs up.

*This boy is something else* Rory went back to talking to Blaine, happier than before. Maybe Sam would be different than everyone else...Well he _was _American.

**A/N: Hello, this is most likely going to be a prequel to the main story, just because it is really descriptive and I don't reveal anything particularly important to the storyline at all. ** **:P **


	2. Ch1: Harmony

**A Sory Fanfic in the Harry Potter Universe. I do not own anything of the characters, places, or spells in this story, everything belongs to Fox or Warner Bros.**

**Rory's past comes back to haunt him, Rumors fly through the school.**

**Book 1, Chapter 1**

**Harmony**

"Rory! Wake up!"

Rory stirred in his deep slumber, slowly blinking his eyes open. His shoulder was being pushed over and over again. The sleeping boy shooed the hand away, rolling over. "Go away Sam." He muttered. Sam pulled the curtains around his bed aside.

"Rory we're late for Potions, Madame Sue is going to murder us!" Rory sprang out of bed. He ran to his trunk grabbing his class robes and his house tie muttering "Oh god" under his breath.

"Oh no, she's gonna take so many points away." Rory slipped on the polished marble while putting a sock on, landing hard on his bottom. Sam laughed hysterically. "This isn't funny Sam, she may actually _kill _us!" Sam helped Rory up, laughing harder as the boy went to grab his bag.

"Rory, calm down man." He said panting. "I was joking, it's Sunday."

"What." Rory ran to the calendar near the door to the dormitory. It read: Sunday, October 24. "That wasn't funny Sam. I was scared out of my mind." Sam plopped on Rory's bed putting his hands behind his head. The street clothes Sam wore should have tipped him off that it wasn't the truth. Rory pulled his tie off and threw it in the trunk, looking for regular clothes to wear.

"It's your fault for sleeping in. It's almost noon. You already missed breakfast. If I didn't come wake you, you would have missed lunch too."

"How did you even get in here? The Ravenclaw common room is hidden, and even without that, you have to answer a riddle to get in." Sam laughed pulling a small rectangular object out of his pocket.

"Nothing in this school is really hidden And any riddle your little doorknob can ask I can find the answer to on my smartphone." He waved the object in the air.

"A phone. Sam those aren't allowed in Hogwarts, you could get expelled." He huffed pulling a shirt over his head.

"Relax Rors. It's charmed so it can't be picked up. I can't make calls but I still get internet service." He put his phone away so Rory wouldn't worry about expulsion. "Now can we go eat breakfast?" Rory threw his robes at the boy, storming off.

**~~~gLee~~~**

Sam sat with Rory and Blaine at the Ravenclaw table for lunch usually. Luckily Blaine was still eating when they finally arrived. However, Blaine was also sitting with someone else.

"Hey Rory, Sam, Good Morning. Sam I know you know Kurt." He gestured to the brunette boy sitting next to him. Kurt shyly waved to the others. Blaine winked at Rory, and then nodded nonchalantly towards Sam. Rory shook his head blushing. "So what have you two boys got planned for the day?" Sam shrugged looking at Rory, who responded with a shrug of his own.

"Blaine and I are going to Hogsmeade to go tux shopping. We're going to the Hollows Eve Ball together." Kurt informed them, clearly excited about their plans. "You're welcome to come with."

"That sounds cool. Wow Kurt, here for a couple months and you've already got a date." Sam chuckled with a slight frown.

"Yeah, who are you going to the ball with Sam?" Blaine asked with a smirk. Rory glared at him as he scooped food onto his plate.

"I don't know. No one has really asked me." Sam said through a mouthful of bacon. "There's not many people I would want to go with anyways." Blaine nodded, then asked Rory the same question.

"Same." He replied. Rory desperately wanted to go with Sam though. He just couldn't muster up the courage to ask him, or even come out to him. He was definitely no Gryffindor. They went back to eating breakfast. Blaine and Kurt left to go down to Hogsmeade a few minutes later, leaving Sam and Rory alone.

"Has no one really asked ye to go with them to the ball?" Rory asked once Blaine had left.

"Well a few girls have, but I said no. I'm not even sure if I want to go." He pushed around a sausage on his plate. "So, you want to explore the school some more?"

"Sure," Rory replied. "I could use some herbs from the garden for Potions. Care to help?"

"It's a date Rory." The brunette boy smiled brightly knowing it wasn't really a date but thinking of what Blaine would say if he'd heard.

The boys left for the Herbology greenhouses behind the school after breakfast. Sam laid on his back in the middle of the garden, watching clouds as Rory went to each plot of land looking for Aconite. Rory gazed at the blonde as he worked, almost memorizing every part of his body. A few minutes later, after no luck of finding the plant, Rory sat down next to Sam.

"Nothin'. Not a single bud of the dang plant."

"Even I could have told you that. All the other Ravenclaws were here Friday, when Madame Sue assigned the project. It's probably tapped dry." Rory threw himself against the soft grassy plain.

"My parents are goin' to kill me if I fail a class." The air was silent, Sam didn't say a word which was usually what he did when Rory brought up parents. "What are ye going to do for yer project?"

"Oh me? I got my roots and herbs last Friday too. Like every other good student." He joked then laughed harder after Rory groaned and facepalmed himself. "You can use some of mine, don't worry Rory, I won't let you fail." Rory breathed out slowly, relieved. Sweat was beginning to bead down the Irish boys forehead. Sam swallowed, thinking about what he wanted to say.

"Your parents are really hard on you aren't they?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, aren't yers. If you fail a class at Hogwarts, you're screwed when you try and get a job. You might as well rule out any of the Ministry jobs."

"My parents don't care about my Hogwarts education." His hands behind his head, Sam stared at the sky, avoiding eye contact with his friend. "The minute I graduate, they want me to start looking for a college where they teach 'normal' things." He confessed with a frown.

"Ye mean a non-wizard school? Don't they want you to give back to the magical community?"

"They could care less about magic." Rory didn't know how to respond. He recognized how tense Sam was getting and started to piece together why "parents" was a touchy subject for him. Deciding to lighten the mood, Rory got up and tried to pull Sam to his feet.

"What are you doing?"

"I- I want to show ye something, come on." He dragged an unsure Sam to his feet and got him to follow him to the other side of the gardens. Past the greenhouses and the plots of arable soil was a large grassy hill. Covered in bright green grass and small flowers and weeds, the hill was steep and overlooked the entire school. Sam was in awe at the beautiful scenery. The lake to the side of the castle shined in the morning light.

"It's a great view isn't it."

"It's amazing, the castle has never looked better."

"Come on, sit." Rory pulled him down to sit on the soft landscape. "I found this hill first year. A couple friends and I used to hang here after Herbology." He said with a longing expression. Sam was mesmerized by the view.

"I really like it here you know." Sam smiled at Rory. "Hogwarts, I mean. There's nothing like it in America. I'd rather be here than back in the states."

"What about yer family and American friends?"

"To be honest. I hated it there. My family kept quiet about me, and most of my friends came with the Foreign Exchange Program. There's nothing left for me in America."

"Ye could stay here." Rory stared at the lake. His knees were held against his chest. His figure silhouetted in a glow of innocence. Rory noticed Sam's hand a mere ten inches away from his being. Slowly and hesitantly he inched his hand out to Sam's. His heart beat faster as he wondered what Sam would do when he noticed. His hand lightly touched Sam's, but Sam's face showed no change. The blonde remained transfixed by the illustrious image of the castle.

Rory breathed out and retracted his hand. Then his hand was stopped. Sam slid his palm under Rory's, his head still looking out into the school, but a smile spread across his face.

The butterflies in Rory's stomach dispersed If only Blaine could see this, he'd never let him live it down. They sat there for what seemed like forever, watching the clouds and the sun pass over the school. Sam squeezed his hand. Rory decided to press his luck a bit.

"So, about the Hallows Eve Ball..." Rory started. Then he heard a sound coming from the greenhouses. The sound of faint laughter and an all too familiar voice.

*Oh no, why here, why now?* He cursed.

"Sam, we have to go." He pulled his hand away, but Sam held tight.

"But I like it here." Sam protested. Rory pulled Sam up to his feet ignoring his refusals. The laughter grew louder as the voice drew closer. He turned looking for an escape path.

"We can slide down this hill right? It's not that steep." Sam wouldn't let go of his hand.

"Rory, what's going on? If you want to leave we can just go back through the greenhouses, but I honestly don't see why you would want to." Then Sam heard the sound of leaves crunching through the garden; people were coming. "Oh, you don't want...I see." He let go of Rory's hand and turned back towards the garden.

"No Sam, it's not that. Ye can't go back that way." But Sam wasn't listening anymore. He felt offended by Rory's fear of being seen with him.

"Aw no, it's him." Rory looked down when he heard the voice. It was too late, they'd seen him. The pathway to the gardens was blocked by three Ravenclaw boys. "He brought a victim too." One of the boys said pointing at Sam.

"Ye've got a lot of nerve Flanagan." One boy sneered at him with an Irish accent as thick as Rory's. The boy looked almost exactly like him, except with thicker and darker hair and eyes. Rory followed after Sam who tried to push through the boys, to no avail. "It's one thing to even come here, but to bring someone else with ye. Way to add insult to injury, ye demon.

"Who the hell are you?" Sam spat at him. The boy raised an eyebrow at him and extended his hand slowly.

"McGinty." He introduced. " Damian McGinty. You must be new, or downright stupid if you're defending this- monster."

"You could say that." Sam shook his hand. He looked at Rory confused. They called him a monster and a demon. Was Rory really afraid of these guys?

"Damian, I think he's one of those American Wizards. Listen to him speak. He must've came with the other Yanks." Another boy added.

"Oh I see." Damian searched Sam's body. Rory grabbed his wand from his back pocket. "Put it away Flanagan. Ye obviously didn't tell him about what happened, did ye? No man in their right minds would stick with someone after hearing that."

"Damian don't." Rory begged, gripping his wand tighter.

"He deserves to know." The boys behind him snickered. "In his freshman year, yer 'friend' dated someone. Mybest friend." He glared at Rory. "Then he took him to this very spot and-"

"Damian, shut it!" He pointed his wand at him. This isn't how he wanted Sam to find out. This is what he warned Blaine about. Rory promised himself he'd never be with someone again, and this was why. The boys behind Damian backed away. Damian was a strong wizard, but everyone knew Rory was better.

"Fine Flanagan." He muttered backing away. "We'll go this time. I don't feel like getting any points from Ravenclaw taken away if a professor saw us fight. But," He regarded Sam. "I'd stay away from him. Ye'll hear a rumor or a story eventually. Rory Flanagan _is_ a monster."

The three boys walked away, down another path leading to the quidditch field. Sam stared at Rory in disbelief.

"What the hell was that about?" Sam asked. Rory put his wand away, watching the boys leave.

"Nothing" Rory said going back to the gardens.

"That didn't seem like 'nothing', those guys hated you one second, then you threaten them with a wand and they're afraid. What was that?"

"He's a McGinty, I'm a Flanagan. Our clans are both Irish and they're rivals. He hasn't liked me for years. Just trying to keep people away from me." Sam followed after him, but Rory was walking faster, like he was trying to get away.

"Slow down. What was he talking about, his friend that he said you dated. What happened?" Sam grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Answer me." He shouted angrily as they entered the school building. His voice reverberated through the halls awaking some of the napping portraits.

"Sam please, not now."

"If not now then when? If there's something I need to know then I need to know it. I want to know it."

"I can't tell ye, ye'd never speak to me again, and that would just-...it'd be too much. Everyone else deserting me was fine, but I thought ye were different."

"I haven't even done anything yet!"

"Exactly. Yet." Sam was so confused. "Once you find out, there is no doubt, yer going to avoid me like everyone else." Rory said walking down into the main corridor. He left Sam at the end of the hallway telling him to watch. He walked down the hall and Sam observed two teenage girls quickly run into another corridor. Another boy walking in Rory's direction turned on the ball of his foot and swiftly walked away. Sam never noticed this before. "See?"

"Please, just tell me what happened?" He begged, jogging to meet back up with Rory at the end of the hall. "You can't be afraid I won't like you anymore because I like you too much already."

"Fine," Rory huffed. "But not here. I don't want people to see me talking to ye."

"Why, because I'm American and they don't like us." Rory grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs of the Grand Staircase to the third corridor. "Here, no one ever comes here."

"So you want to tell me what's going on?" Rory sat down on a bench, thinking. He was worried and afraid of Sam's reaction.

"The person that Damian was referring to was...an old friend." Even speaking about him was hard.

"Rory, I really hope this isn't all about the fact that you're gay." Rory's head snapped up.

"How did you-"

"We've been friends for a few months. You think I couldn't tell?" Sam said with a grin. "It's okay, I don't care, I still like you."

"It's more than that. His name was Cameron Michelson. Cam. A pureblood. Ravenclaw. And what I consider my first real...I don't know. I was eleven, but I thought it was love at the time." Tears were welling in Rory's eyes. "I don't-...It happened so fast...I didn't know what to do...I kissed him..."

"What's so bad about that?" Sam sat next to him and pulled him into a hug. Rory's tears flowed faster and harder. The collar of Sam's shirt was wet from tears. Rory opened his mouth to keep explaining but Sam stopped him with a finger to his lips. "No, nevermind. Not now. Whatever it is it's too hard to talk about." He wiped Rory's tears with his sleeve. Sam decided the best thing now was to just take Rory back to the Ravenclaw dorms. Whatever Rory did, or accidently did, it was too much for him to talk about.

Sam held him in a tight embrace through the halls, ignoring the looks from other students they received. As they came closer to the common room, Rory broke away from Sam's hold of him. His mind cleared and the teen was finally able to keep the images of Cam out of his head. He couldn't shake the desperate and worried look in Sam's eyes when he stopped his story. Rory felt bad that Sam was being dragged into this.

"Sam stop."

"Were almost to the common room. Don't worry."

"Sam-"

"I'm sorry our Sunday- It's kind of ruined. Not even two hours we got to spend together. A pretty crappy day so far, huh?"

"Sam." Rory stopped, holding onto Sam's hand. The blonde turned. Rory's eyes were red, but his face was serious. "Go. I need to be alone right now. It's best if you go now before you get hurt."

"I'm not leaving you Rory," Sam knocked on the double doors at the end of the corridor. The eagle knocker spoke it's riddle.

"_Do we have free will?" _The eagle head asked in a soft melodic voice. Sam pulled out his cell phone to find the answer to the riddle, but Rory swiped the device from his fingers.

"No. We have the ability to believe we are free, but of free will, we have none." The door creaked open. Rory entered closing them slowly behind as he went in. "Sam, ask someone to tell ye what happened. Ask anyone, they all know it even the teachers. Then ye'll understand." HE closed the doors behind him leaving Sam with an empty feeling in his chest.

**~~~)()()()(~~~**

Rory hadn't spoken to Sam for three days. He figured Sam would have talked to someone and learned that it was best to steer clear of him now. Being alone for the rest of his life was the only way he could ensure everyone's safety.

The Irish teen sat in his bed with the curtains drawn. He stared at the ceiling tossing his wand in the air above him and catching it.

"Mail's here!" Blaine shouted excitedly pulling the curtain of Rory's bed back. He threw a couple of envelopes on Rory's lap, ripping into his own letter. "You skipped breakfast again. That's a really bad habit." Rory threw the envelopes under his pillow. "You're not going to open them?"

"Why should I? It's just my parents. Me mum telling me about how much she misses me and Seamus, and me da telling me that I better not fail or I might as well not come back home. Same old, same old." He rolled over in his bed.

"Rory, what's going on with you? You've been so distant lately, it's starting to worry me." Rory sighed closing the curtain around his bed again. "You know sam has been asking about you."

"Doubt it. He probably heard about me by now. My friendship with Sam is over now. I'm over it." Rory said, almost like he was trying to convince himself that his statement was true.

"You can't keep doing that."

"Doin' what?"

"Pushing people away. This is the third guy that's tried to get close to you and you're just going to let him go!"

"I don't let them go!" Rory spat back at him. "They leave. I never see them in the halls again, they use everything in their power to avoid me. It's a cycle, learn the story of Rory Flanagan and disappear."

"Oh yeah? Well here's one that actually wants to hear your part of the story before making a conclusion and you're not even going to let him talk to you. Please, Rory, talk to him. He's not like the others." Blaine begged with him from outside his curtains. He didn't hear any type of movement on the other side. "If you keep this up you will never find someone who can love you. A life without love...What's the point of living anymore? You might as well be dead."

Rory heard the door of the room close. He scoffed at Blaine. Who was he to define what love is? He went hunting for boys to snog and shag just about every month. It's best to stay alone.

The words Blaine said in anger still rang through his skull. "What's the point of living anymore? You might as well be dead." That was one thing he knew Blaine was right about. He might as well be dead.

**~~~)()()()(~~~**

Sam waited for Rory to come down and sit at the Ravenclaw table that morning. He finally gave up when he noticed Blaine grabbing Rory's mail from his owl and getting up to leave. Blaine gave Sam a disappointed shrug as he exited the Great Hall.

He wanted to hit something in frustration. He hadn't seen Rory in days.

"Are you still waiting for that Irish kid?" Asked Finn. "He's not right. There's something off about him. He actually talks to us and he's not afraid of being seen in public with you. He's one weird English wizard."

"I really like him." Sam slipped. Finn looked at him shocked.

"I'm sorry?"

"What?" He tried to play off his accidental confession.

"Are you replacing me with an Irish? Well you think you're a guy's best friend and then he finds a foreign kid and you learn what you truly mean." He joked feigning punched him in the shoulder playfully. "C'mon, lets go back to the common room."

The Gryffindor common room was crowded like usual. Mercedes Jones sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading a textbook.

"Hey 'Cedes." Sam jumped over the couch landing beside her.

"Oh, Hey Sam." The startled girl replied, a little flustered by his sudden entrance.

"How's it going?"

"Fine." She closed her book. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you something. It's just you've been with that Rory kid so much, I could never get you alone." Sam frowned a little. It seemed the thought of Rory was inevitable. "Anyways, I wanted to know...If...well- the Hallows Eve Ball is coming up and I wanted to know if..." Her conclusion dawned on him.

"Mercedes, I-...I can't." He remembered Rory's "almost" proposal on the hill. "I already have a date. I'm sorry."

"That's okay." She said despondent.

Mercedes rose from the couch telling him goodbye. Sam sat alone, thinking of Rory. That boy was making it hard for him to wait. Sam wanted to wait for Rory to be okay with seeing him. He wanted to wait for Rory to ask him again, so he could finally tell him "yes".

**~~~)()()()(~~~**

The next morning, Blaine was surprised to see Rory sitting at the Ravenclaw table eating breakfast. He sat down in front of the Irish boy with a wide smile.

"Mornin' Blaine."

"Morning. You seem in a good mood."

"Yeah, I decided you were right. There's no use in me just being alone."

"Good. I'm proud of you Rory. You're going to be stronger because of it." The boys talked aimlessly. Blaine inquired about Rory's homework and classes. Rory answered keeping a smile on his face. He was going to miss this. The Great hall began to empty and Blaine and Rory got ready to leave.

"I'll see you in potions Rory." Blaine said, planning on seeing Kurt before classes. "Oh wait. We have potions with the Gryffindors. I can't wait to see this." He grinned. Rory laughed his joke off. Blaine turned to leave.

"Blaine." He called behind him. The dark haired boy stopped and turned. "Goodbye."

"Yeah, I'll see you later. Remember potions. And dot skip, Madame Sue will take so many points away."

Rory walked through the crowded hallway without hinderance. People usually dispersed when they saw him coming. His hand in his pocket, he clutched the tiny vial feeling the liquid slide back and forth with every step. A sleeping potion. They'd learned about them two weeks ago. Sue created a potion that she accidently filled with too much asphodel making the sleeping potion lethal, however, she kept a small vial of the concoction to add to her own personal collection. Luckily, she never put it away and Rory was able to sneak in and snatch it.

He had the method. Now all he needed was the place. Then everything would be gone. The guilt that came when he thought of Cam. The constant bullying and looks from other students. That happy smile his father gave him whenever he told him about their family background. All the trying, and practically begging for positive attention from someone; no more. Everything would be so much easier. He just needed a place to end it all. A place to wait for death.

Movement in the hallway caught his eye. The wall to the right of him began moving, the walls swirling and dissolving. The hall was empty and Rory looked around confused as to what he should do. A large pair of double doors materialized where the once empty wall stood. Rory's Ravenclaw curiosity got the best of him. He slowly pulled one of the doors open.

It was a large room, almost resembling a modern day apartment. In the center of the room was a large red and gold couch with two love seats to the side, all surrounding a coffee table. There was a king sized bed to the left and a full kitchen on the right. It looked like someone actually lived here once. It was like a home. A home was as good a place as any.

The door slammed shut behind him, dissolving into a bare wall. Rory grasped his wand in one hand, the vial in his other. He slowly walked to the living room set of furniture, his wand at ready.

"HI!" Rory fired a jinx in a random direction. The spell zoomed into the kitchen hitting a cluster of pots. Rory turned back and forth looking for the source of the sound.

"Who was that?" He asked. The air turned cold. A figure appeared from the makeshift bedroom on his left. A pale ghost with a faint light began moving closer to him. The light dimmed and Rory could make out the figure. It was a girl.

"I'd like for you to not cast spells in my home, thank you very much." She said with a weird strained smile. She was very pretty, her hair was dark brown, wavy and curly, she wore an outdated hogwarts uniform with a Ravenclaw crest.

"Who- who are ye?" He fell back against the couch, wand raised.

"Put that down." The girl moved closer. "Hi, I'm Harmony. Ravenclaw year six." She introduced herself sweetly extending her pale ghostly hand out to him. She pulled it back remembering her condition. "And you are?"

"What are ye doing here?" Harmony crossed her arms.

"I could ask you the same. No one has been in here for fourteen years."

"I- I..." Rory wasn't sure how to answer.

"Why are you so scared. You act like you've never seen a ghost before."

"I didn't expect to see anyone here."

"Oh, that's a cute accent. Irish?" Harmony mused. Rory nodded. "That's adorable. You're quite handsome too. Must get all the witches." She moved over the couch, crossing her legs to show off her smooth legs.

"Ye do know yer a ghost right?"

"So what brings you here? Mister..."

"Rory. Uh, I'm not sure. What is this place exactly? Why are _you _here?" Harmony's smile quickly faded. Then she chuckled.

"Where we are is kind of unexplainable. I know where we are, but at the same time no idea. That's something that could make any normal student go crazy, but not a Ravenclaw." She pointed to the crest on her sweater and the blue tie around Rory's neck. "This is one of the many pockets in our dimension. The famous Room of Requirements. I'm surprised you didn't realize this yourself. This room become whatever you need most. As for why I am here..." She looked away. Rory wasn't sure what to do now. He'd heard of the room of requirements and he knew what he wanted at that moment when the room appeared, but why was she here.

"I died here. During the Battle of Hogwarts." She brushed the hair away from her face, regaining her composure. Harmony noticed Rory's confused and saddened expression. "Don't worry, I've come to accept what happened. I was shot by a death eater with a bad hex and I started bleeding out. I tried to crawl away and find a place to wait out the pain. And I found this place. Came inside and...well you now. I've been stuck here ever since."

Rory shifted uncomfortably, feeling the vial in his pocket.

"On that note. I know why this place came to me, why would a cute boy like you be looking for a place to die?" Harmony moved closer to Rory. Even though she was a ghost, Rory could feel her close to him. "C'mon you can tell me. I'm a real sweet girl. Nice. Smart. Great listener." Rory really wanted to tell her. He knew the fact that she was a ghost and no one would probably ever listen to her made her a lot easier to talk to, but he still felt uncomfortable.

"I...I was going to..ye know..."

"Rory! How could you? Killing yourself. Whatever your reason, suicide is not nor will it ever be the answer." Harmony stood and floated to the of the coffee table. Her face was angry and Rory was starting to fear her. "Death is not all it's cracked up to be, trust me. It just leaves a bunch of unanswered questions. Now tell me what could make you wish this upon yourself."

"Ye don't know what I've been through. Ye don't even know me." Rory defended himself. "My life is hell. I try, I really do, but once people get an opinion of ye they don't change it, ye're stuck. I'm done trying!" He clasped the vial in his hand uncorking it. He brought the glass to his lips, his mind made up. Then the glass flew out of his hands. Harmony stood close in front of his face, eyes full of anger. the vial somehow in her grasp.

"I'm going to ask you again." Her voice was soft yet forceful and coercive. "What made you contemplate suicide?"

Rory sighed. He told her his story, his recollection of his first year at Hogwarts. Harmony's eyes widened as he told her about Cam and then about Sam, realizing that he was gay. She urged him to continue. He told her about what happened on Sunday at the hill.

"I haven't seen him since. I'm destined to live my life alone, so why not just end it now?"

"Rory-" Harmony started. Given his background, it was clear why he would feel this way. "It's not worth it. This Sam boy, if you killed yourself think of how he would feel, and your parents, your friend Blaine, your brother. They'll all be hurt." Tears welled in her eyes. Rory wondered if ghosts could even cry. "I haven't gotten to see my family in years. Even before I died, I cut myself off from them. I have a sister, and a nephew and who knows, maybe even another brother that I have never gotten to meet. Having to miss out on those things, things I never thought I'd miss...go back Rory." She wanted to hug him so badly and tell him everything would be fine. "God, to think I've begged for someone to find me here. Now I realize it's best if they never do. Please Rory, promise you won't do it."

"Harmony, I can't. Not anymore." His knuckles were white from clenching them. He missed Cam. He missed Sam too. He'd miss seeing both of them if he went through with this.

"Anything those bullies do can't hurt you. Sam, he can protect you. He could like you too, he could be different than those other boys. You just have to hold on a little longer." She held the vial in the air, swishing the black liquid around. "I'm going to keep this. I'll dispose of it later. But you. I want you to leave. Go to class, you're a Ravenclaw and we don't cut class, and find your friend Blaine. Think about how horrible things would be without him. You're not alone. Don't give up. Live."

She pressed her lips against his, Rory feeling the light air brush across his skin. It wasn't the same as a kiss he would get from a living person, but it felt nice. He felt better at least. He wanted to cry now that someone was finally holding him. Harmony didn't know how much her simple existence could have changed him.

"Thank you." He rose. Rory started to leave but then noticed the bare wall where the door once was.

"Oh that. Just will the door to appear." Harmony smiled.

"But, if it's that easy, why have you never left?"

"I died in a place where space is nonexistent. I have no connection to the real world. I'll probably never leave." Rory noticed that her smile never faded. "I'm happy to have met you Rory. I'm content with loneliness, knowing no one else will have to feel what I've felt."

"I'll come back though. I swear." He declared as the double doors reappeared.

"Goodbye Rory."

Rory left the room, watching the doors dissolve. Harmony. Such a sweet girl and death was wasted on her. Death wasn't an answer, just an escape or a condemnation. He walked briskly off to the dungeons. Potions was over in about fifteen minutes, but he wanted to see Blaine and Sam. He wanted to understand what Harmony had said. He didn't know true loneliness. And maybe, hopefully, he never would.

**A/N: *Phew* Spent all day, neglected my dog, eating, and the many assignments I have due Monday to write this but, hey when inspiration hits y'know. ;D **

** Reviews plz =3**


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